Our Story
by Realalien
Summary: This is the story of a witch named Lydia and her trials and tribulations while getting through life, and an extremely frustrating relationship with a certain Marauder named Sirius Black. Rated R for later chaps.(My first FanFic, so cut me some slack)
1. They Meet Again

**Just about all of the characters and themes of this story do not belong to me, they belong to the almighty JK Rowling**  
  
_This is a story about a witch and her relationship with the Marauders and the people around them. I plan for it to go through the marauder's 7 years at Hogwarts, and then in future years up until Sirius's death. Other than that, I have no real idea where this story is gonna go, so suggestions are always welcome.  
_  
Lydia came up the steps and stood at the door to twelve Grimmauld Place. It was the first time that she had seen the house in years. Her last visit had ended on somewhat less than happy terms. Taking a deep breath, not knowing what she would find behind the door, she knocked sharply instead of ringing the doorbell, as Remus had advised her not to. The door opened and she was greeted by a stout, older woman with flaming red hair and kind eyes. Behind Mrs. Weasley stood a tall, gangly man with the same color hair, a young woman with pink hair, and another, shy looking man with short dark hair and numerous scars about his face. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, and Remus all enveloped her into one fierce bear hug, forcing Lydia to drop all of her belongings on the floor.

Sirius watched the happy greetings from the hallway, leaning against the doorjamb and observing the woman who had just walked in the door. She looked older, the signs of weariness clear on her face, but she was still as beautiful as he remembered. Her hair had been allowed to grow out, and now the soft, honey brown curls fell loosely at her shoulders. The body that had been almost too soft as a girl was athletic yet feminine, just as it had been when he last saw her, but he was discomforted by the black circles beneath her eyes, especially knowing that it was probably partly his doing. Her eyes, just shades darker than her hair, were warm for her friends, but wore traces of pain and wariness behind them, partly his doing as well. His thoughts were interrupted when those deep brown eyes turned to meet his. A mixture of shock, disbelief, and rapture took the place of the warm happiness.

His hair was long and just a little on the shabby side. Lydia could see that he was in better health since his time in Azkaban, as he wasn't as gaunt as he had been on the wanted poster she'd seen in the local pubs. He had been watching her with his dark brown eyes; she had felt them on her, taking her in. He was still as handsome as she remembered, and still managed to take her breath away, even after 14 years. The others in the room got quieter and slowly inched away, giving the two people their space. Sirius straightened up from the doorway, and slowly walked towards her. She mimicked his steps, going faster and faster until they grasped each other into a tight embrace. Sirius closed his eyes and pulled her tighter, letting her familiar, calming scent take over his senses. Lydia couldn't believe it, after 14 years of loneliness the man she loved was once again in her arms, here and solid, not just a dream. They just stood there, holding each other for a few minutes before they spoke. She pulled away just enough so that she could look into his eyes. There she found sadness, joy and rapture gathering. She ran her hands over his face, re-memorizing every crease, every plane.

"I can't believe it," she whispered, "you're really here."

"I know," he answered softly and leaned in to kiss her. It was meant to be a hello kiss, short and sweet. But it soon became much more as all of the feelings that had been welled up for the past 14 years came to the surface. She felt his tongue trace her lips and opened them to deepen the kiss. They stood there for what seemed like eternity before they remembered the people in the hall watching. They broke away, smiling embarrassedly.

"You're crying," he whispered gently.

"So are you," she answered.

"Sirius," Mrs. Weasley cut in, "Why don't you take Lydia and her bags to her room."

"It would be my pleasure," he replied with a roguish grin, becoming more and more like his old self by the second. Lydia took the arm he offered and picked up her bags.

"Dinner is at six o'clock, so make sure you're down in time," Mrs. Weasley reminded.

Lydia and Sirius climbed the stairs to her room in contented silence. They stopped at a door, and he pushed it open to reveal a medium sized room with a big, double bed and private bathroom.

"It's not much," he told her, "but it's comfortable. And," he continued, grinning again, "you can always come and share my room if you'd like." She sighed and set down her bags, staring at Sirius with warmth and affection.

"I've missed you so much," her voice was now choked up with fresh tears.

"I know, I know," he comforted, taking her gently into his arms.

"So many nights I've dreamed about this. Seeing you again, touching you, feeling you around me. Sometimes the loneliness was almost too much to bear, but now, finally seeing you, holding you, it's better than any dream," she blurted out.

He pulled away and cupped her face in his hands and stared at her, "You weren't the only one dreaming about this," and kissed her lightly on the forehead, "So, I know you've been filled in on my adventures, but what have you been up to for the past fourteen years?" He sat down on the bed and patted the place beside him, indicating her to sit. So she proceeded to tell him all about her life. How she had lived that first year alone, depressed and in despair. How she had pulled herself out of that despair and got another job as an Auror with the Ministry of Magic. And finally how she had been contacted by Dumbledore in Romania and had come here straight away when she learned of the Dark Lord's rising. By the time she was finished, it was six o'clock. The clock chime brought Sirius out of his daze; he had been listening to every word, of course, and had heard it all. But he had gotten lost in watching her, just remembering all of her little quirks and mannerisms. Like the way she bit her lip when she was nervous, or the way she tended to run out of breath when talking about something important, or the way she moved her hands as she spoke and her eyebrows moved expressively with the words.

"I guess we should get down to dinner," she said, standing and holding out a hand for Sirius.

"Yea," he said, taking her hand, "you can get filled in on anything you don't already know. And," he paused, "you'll get to see Harry."

She sighed, remembering the son of her two best friends, "I haven't seen him since he was a baby."

"He's grown into a fine young man, looks just like his father," Sirius said proudly.

"Well," she said, "Then we should get down right away."  
  
_Okay, this is my first fan fiction, after reading so many I finally built up the couraget to post my own. If you actually read this, which i doubt, the next chapters are gonna be flashbacks to Lydia's days at Hogwarts. Please R&R!!! _


	2. When they were young

**Disclaimer:As most know, I do not own Harry Potter, I just take the story sometimes and twist it around for my own amusement.**

_(I shot the sheriff  
But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! oh!  
I shot the sheriff  
But I didn't shoot no deputy, ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.)  
Yeah! all around in my home town,  
They're tryin' to track me down;  
They say they want to bring me in guilty  
For the killing of a deputy,  
For the life of a deputy.  
But I say:_ click

A stray hand slapped the off button on the alarm clock radio. Lydia groaned, after three months of summer she was not ready to get up this early. Then she remembered, today was the first day of school. Immediately she shot out of bed, then regretted it as her head started to spin from the sudden movement.

"Liddie," her mother shouted from the kitchen, "Come and eat breakfast, the train for Hogwarts leaves in an hour!"

She got out of bed, slowly this time, and made her way to the bathroom. Her bags had been packed the night before, so she only needed to get dressed and eat breakfast. But it was still a good twenty minutes to King's Cross Station, and traffic at this time in the morning could be murder.

Ten minutes later, awoken by her shower, Lydia dragged her bags down the stairs and left them in front of the entry way as she wandered into the kitchen. Unfortunately, her mother had decided to make breakfast for her last meal before school. Now don't get me wrong, Liddie loved her mother, but she was a horrendous cook. The only reason she was able to eat it was because she kept thinking of all of the wonderful food she would have tonight at the Welcome feast.

In the car, on the way to the station, her mother and father kept telling her to owl them every day, get good marks, and don't get into any trouble. Liddie smiled at this, her parents had been worried about her ever since their friend's, the Potters, son had been in detention so many times that a letter was finally sent home. Of course, Liddie would never get into as much trouble as James Potter, even if she tried.

When they were standing at the wall between platforms nine and ten, her mother enveloped her into a tight hug.

"Be good," she told her, tears streaming down her face.

"And don't forget to write," her father cut in.

"I won't, I won't," Liddie assured her parents. She then got a firm grip on her cart and tried to look as normal as possible while walking into the divider to get onto platform 9 ¾ . She soon came to the other side and was almost overwhelmed by all of the people on the platform. After snaking her way through the throngs of people, she spotted her two best friends waiting to get on the train.

Physically, Lydia, Lilly Evans, and Lauren Price were nothing alike. Lydia was short and a bit round, her mother always called her a late bloomer. Her stringy, long brown hair didn't help any. Lauren was the exact opposite and had developed quite early, catching the attention of many Hogwarts' male students. She was petite and pretty with blonde hair and blue eyes. Lilly was medium height, and was a bit too thin. Her pale skin, red hair, and green eyes gave her a unique sort of beauty. However, all three girls shared a love of school, magic, and just having fun.

"Lilly," Lydia yelled, "hey Lilly!"

The red head turned around to look at her friend and smiled.

"Your late," she said in mock scolding, "we'd almost given up on you."

"You know my parents," Liddie replied, "never want to let me go."

"You probably just woke up late again," Lauren said, her blond hair bouncing around her shoulders.

"Was not!"

"Whatever," the blonde replied, "just as long as you're here now."

They continued talking for a few minutes before a loud whistle interrupted their conversation. By the time they got onto the train, all of the compartments were filled but one.

"Oh no," Lilly moaned, "please don't tell me we're going to have to sit with them."

"Their compartment is the only one with room," Liddie reasoned as she slid open the door the nearest compartment. Inside there were three boys. They were ¾ of the most infamous and popular group in Hogwarts, and they were called The Marauders. James Potter and Peter Pettigrew were playing a game of wizard chess. James's brown eyes were fixed on the queen that was currently obliterating Peter's knight. His wiry, athletic build was perfect for playing Quidditch, and he was a Gryffindor chaser. Brown hair that never seemed to be tidy fell over the glasses that failed to make him look geeky. Peter, on the other hand, was a short, round, timid boy with a crop of light hair. Remus Lupin was lounging on the seat next to Peter, his head buried in a copy of The Standard Book of Spells Grade 3. It was one of the many books required for Hogwart's third year students. Remus was a bookish looking young man with light brown hair and grey eyes. It was he who noticed the three girls standing at the door.

"Hi," he greeted them.

"Sorry Remus," Liddie said, "but it seems like we're going to have to share a compartment with you guys as there isn't room anywhere else."

"It's okay," he reassured them, "we've got plenty of room here."

So the girls put away their things and sat down. Lauren sat down with Liddie next to James, Lilly sat across from them as she wouldn't go anywhere near James. Out of the three girls, Liddie was the only one with a friendly relationship with all four Marauders. Peter had never really done anything to her, so she didn't mind him, but Lauren didn't like him at all as she claimed that he gave her the creeps. James was Liddie's next door neighbor and they had always been friends, but Lilly hated him because of his obsession with himself. Even so, James was always trying to get Lilly to go out with him for the past three years, without success. Not one of the girls could find anything wrong with Remus. The fourth Marauder, Sirius Black, was not outwardly liked by either Lilly or Lauren, though both secrectly enjoyed his company. However, he and Liddie were friends. In their second year, he had put wartcap powder on her books. She had retaliated by putting swelling solution in his soup at lunch. After a day spent in the care of Madame Pomfrey, they admired each other's pranks, and commended each other on their handiwork. It was the start of a very good friendship.

Liddie soon realized that the fourth marauder was missing.

"Where's Sirius," she asked.

She was answered when the door flung open revealing the man in question, looking quite disheveled. James finally looked up from the chess set, "Where've you been Padfoot?"

"I just had to attend to one of the lovely ladies in compartment four," Sirius replied, flashing a wicked grin.

Liddie shook her head in disgust, "You're such a womanizer."

"I prefer the term 'player' if you don't mind," he replied, shoving her aside to sit next to James.

"Would you prefer man-whore?" she raised an eyebrow.

He clutched his heart in mock agony, "How could you even suggest such a thing?"

The entire compartment burst out laughing. Pretty soon everything died down. James and Sirius started a game of Exploding Snap with Lauren and Liddie, while Lilly and Remus were busy discussing Intermediate Transfiguration, and Peter sat silently, watching out the window. Liddie looked at Sirius and was surprised to see how much he'd changed. He'd grown a few inches, and now filled out his long, muscular frame. 'With that body and that face,' she thought, 'he could have any girl he wanted.' When he turned to smile at her, a part of her stirred with something she hadn't felt before. 'Those eyes,' she thought, 'that hair...' As soon as these thoughts entered her mind, she mentally shook herself. Sirius was like a brother to her, how could she have any kind of romantic feelings for him? Luckily, her reverie was broken when it was announced that they would arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Everyone had already gotten into their robes, so they just got their bags together and got ready to get off the train.

When they finally reached Hogwarts, a shared groan went out from all of the students. It was raining, pouring actually, much to their dismay.

"Oh no," Lilly cried, "we're all going to be soaked."

"We'll freeze to death for sure," Lauren added.

"Oh do shut up," Sirius countered, "it's just rain!" All three girls glared at him, causing him to back up a few steps. By the time they were in the carriages, they were all soaked to the bone. Only the thought of the huge feast that awaited them got them through the entire ordeal.

"It's effing freezing!!!" Liddie exclaimed.

"I'm just glad that we found an empty carriage, I don't think I could take much more of James," said Lilly.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Liddie enquired. "He's just !"

Lauren and Liddie exchanged looks, for it was common knowledge that James really liked Lilly. If anything was ever going to happen between their two friends, something had to change.

_I've been having a chronic case of writer's block as of late, so sorry if new chapters come in late, or are not that good. It's not my fault, it's a condition. Remember, always Read and Review. There is nothing better for boosting an author's self-esteem, and better self-esteem=better story!_


	3. Dealing with Feelings

_Disclaimers are annoying, and i've written one already so im not gonna so it again. The last chapter kinda sucked, and this one isn't the best either, but im trying. I have a couple of good scenes written out but i've got to write some to go in between them. I decided not to go all the way through Hogwarts, but just do 7th year. _

Lydia stretched out on the big red couch in front of the fire. The Gryffindor common room was unusually quiet for being a Saturday night, but she just figured everyone was sleeping off the huge party from the night before. The Marauders had found some way to rent a room at the Three Broomsticks for the entire night, but how she didn't want to know. There throngs of people, loud music, and butter beer, lots and lots of butter beer. Now that the headaches and general, all around crappiness of the morning after was gone, everyone was tucked into their beds. But now Lydia took advantage of the solace to finish up a huge paper for her NEWTS Charms class. 'Merlin,' she thought, 'Does Flitwick have any sort of social life that he has to grade all of these papers?' Being in all NEWTS classes and being prefect was not an easy task. Soon her solidarity was broken by the sound of two giggling teenagers trying to sneak in through the portal. She simply rolled her eyes when she saw Sirius and Lauren stumbling over each other, laughing their heads off. Lauren stopped giggling long enough to notice Lydia standing in front of the fireplace.

"Uh oh, we're in trouble now," she managed to say before falling into another fit of drunken laughter.

When Lydia simply stood there with her arms crossed, Sirius got on his knees.

"We throw ourselves at the mercy of the court, please don't punish us," he said with mock sincerity.

Disgusted, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet with surprising strength. Nice to know all of that Quiddtich was good for something. "Do you have any idea how late it is?" she snapped quietly. Lauren just burst into another fit of giggles.

"We didn't have a watch," Sirius replied innocently. Lydia released him and turned away, shaking her head.

"Aww, Liddie," Lauren came up and gave her a hug, "We don't mean to be so much trouble, we were just having a little fun."

Lydia whipped around and gave them both a weary look. "Well, your fun tonight is over. So I suggest you both get to your respective dorms before you get us all in trouble."

"Oh all right," Sirius gave a sigh and turned to Lauren. "It seems that our night has been cut short." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek then headed up the stairs to his dorm. Lauren just stood there and stared wistfully after him for what seemed like hours. Lydia just shook her head and headed up the stairs to her own dorm.

"I can't believe it."

"What?" Lauren's daze was broken.

"You and Sirius."

"Why not?"

"I don't know," she tried to find the words to tell her best friend that she was making a big mistake, "I just don't think you should get involved with him."

"Again, I ask, why not?"

"Because this is Sirius that we're talking about. The boy who seems to have a new girlfriend this week."

"So, why can't I be one of those girls? Why can't I see what it's like?"

"I don't want to see you get hurt like the others."

"No, that's not it is it?" Lauren cut her off, "You're just mad that he's gone out with just about every girl in the school except you."

"That's not true."

"Oh yes it is. You're just jealous that he chose me instead of you."

"No I'm not."

"Stop denying it. You have all these boys falling at your feet, no matter how discreet with them you may be. But not him. You still can't have him, and that kills you doesn't it?"

Lydia didn't answer or even look at her friend. "I thought so," Lauren turned and went into the 7th year girl's dorm.

Lydia just stood there for awhile, taking in all that Lauren had said. Though she had denied it, there was truth to her words. By the end of 3rd year her small attraction for a certain black haired boy had turned in to a full blown crush. But she had always watched from the sidelines. She was never anything more to him than a friend. Even in 5th year when she had returned from a summer holiday in France. She had grown to her final height of five foot five. A summer of playing Quidditch had melted away all of the baby fat, leaving her with an athletic, yet completely feminine body. She'd finally let her mother get a hold of her hair and it was now soft and full. Finally, she had thought, finally he would notice me. But he didn't, he still didn't see her that way. Other boys did. Older boys did. In the past three years she had engaged in numerous relationships with the male population at Hogwarts, but nothing serious. She'd probably had just as many relationships as Sirius, but she was definitely more discreet. No one knew much about her social life than her friends. The rest of the school just looked upon her as a goody-good girl and excellent Chaser. It didn't upset her that they didn't see the real Lydia. It was just as well that they didn't know about her night life. Merlin knew she didn't want to be brandished a whore.

Lauren's words had cut deep. Lydia walked up the stairs and slipped into her nice, warm bed. But she couldn't sleep, and damned Sirius for it.

_Yeah, see, that wasn't the best ever. But please R&R!!!!!!_


	4. Making Amends

**Decided to repost this one, it was a bit late and i forgot to do a little editing. So here is the version i intended you all to see. ENJOY! oh yea, Happy Christmas to everybody!**

_**Insert pointless disclamer here **I'm trying to write more often, but its not that easy with school and everything. There isn't gonna be any Sirius and Lydia action any time soon, but our Liddie does get some next chapter. The Seventh Year ball is posinga bit of a problem, i dont know where to put it. So it might be a while B4 i get there._

The next morning, Lydia felt like crap. She imagined she looked like crap as well. Sleep hadn't come to her that night, and the alarm clock seemed louder than ever. Nevertheless, as soon as she heard the moans and groans of the six other sleepy girls, she bolted up out of bed and into the bathroom. For the past six years she and Lilly had always gotten the bathroom first. Today, it was her turn. A look at the bathroom mirror confirmed her suspicions. She did, indeed, look like crap. Pulling back the shower curtain, she also found out that she had no shampoo left. "Oh, bugger all," she sighed and conceded to only using conditioner. Even after her morning routine she still felt like crap, though no longer looked it. Reminding herself that she was supposed to be a morning person, she plastered on a smile when she entered the Great Hall. As usual, James and Remus were already seated at the middle of the Gryffindor table. Remus greeted her with an absent hello, never once looking up from his book. James swallowed a spoonful of oatmeal and gave her a scrutinizing look. "You know," he said, "you really don't have use that phony smile with us." It fell immediately and she proceeded to slump down on the bench and put her head in her hands. "Uhhhh," she moaned, "I'm so tired." James leaned in and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm guessing that the exceptionally large fight with Lauren last night didn't help any?" She looked up at him with embarrassment, "You heard that?" "I think the whole bloody house heard it," Remus piped in, still not looking up from his book. "Oh, just marvelous," sarcasm dripped from her voice. "Cheer up," James said, "It's not like it's anything we haven't…" But his sentence trailed off into nothing when Lilly entered the hall, followed by Lauren. Lydia just rolled her eyes at James. "Hey Lilly, would you be interested in going with me to the…" She didn't bother to listen to the rest. Every day it was the same. James asked Lilly to go out with him, and she would say no. Lauren tapped her on the arm and she turned to look at her friend. Lauren looked worse than she did. Not only did her eyes have dark black circles under them, it looked as if she had been crying most of the night.

"Listen," she said, her voice hoarse and tired, "I'm really, really sorry about what I said last night."

Lydia smiled sympathetically and assured her, "It's okay, really. I understand."

Lauren shook her head, "No it isn't, and I had no right to talk to you that way."

"You were right," she admitted, "You were right about what you said. I've been waiting around for so long to Sirius to notice me. It even made me lash out at one of my friends." She took Lauren's hand and spoke with complete sincerity. "From now on I am going to stop waiting. It's time to let him go."

"Good for you," Lauren's face brightened. Then she looked and motioned towards the door, "Speak of the devil…" Lydia turned to see Sirius coming through the double doors. If she'd thought she looked bad, he was even worse. He almost looked like he was asleep on his feet. "My my," James commented, "Looks like someone had a rough night." Sirius gave him a killing look, slumped down on the bench, and scowled into his bowl of oatmeal. "You look horrible," Lydia commented, laughing into her glass of pumpkin juice. "I must have been super plastered last night." "Good thing," Lauren muttered. But he didn't hear her as the next thing he did was lay his head on the table, closed his eyes, and groaned in pain. "Here," Lilly moved over to him, "Maybe this will help." She touched her wand to his forehead and murmured an incantation. "Oh yes, that feels so much better."

"So, Liddie," Lilly began, "What's happening with the Seventh Year Ball?" Lydia, being a prefect, was on the decorating committee.

"Well, we finally got all of the decorations together, now we have what? Two weeks to set them up."

"Will it take you that long?"

"If we can get some of the professors to help, I don't think it will." Then the bell sounded for the first class, and everyone left the hall.

That night, all of the seventh grade girls were in their room, talking about the Ball. Lilly had left the Head's room, as she did frequently, and was lounging on Lydia's bed while the girls chatted on about dresses and boys. "Who are you going with Lilly?" one of the girls asked. "I was thinking about asking Remus. You know, as a friend." "Why don't you go with James?" Lydia asked, even though she already knew the answer. "Because he's arrogant and pig-headed, that's why." "You mean he's still free?" a girl named Alison asked. To Lydia's curiosity, Lilly suddenly became tensed. "Yes," she said through clenched teeth. 'Odd,' she thought, 'I wonder if there's something going on there.' However, she couldn't continue the thought as the conversation was now directed towards her. "Who are you going with?" Not sure how to answer, she simply said, "I don't know." Then the conversation moved on, leaving her to think. Who would she go with? Would she even go at all? She had to get over Sirius, so the best thing to do would be find someone, and fast. But who? There might be a lot of boys who would be willing to go with her, but she needed someone who could keep her mind off that one particular bad-boy. Who? That was the question. Little did she know, it was about to be answered.

_Short chappie, but I'll try and make them longer. Remember to R&R!!!_


	5. The New Kid

OMG I've really got to start editing this more thoroughly. So i've reposted this yet again

**Before I say anything, I want to give a big thanks to the Harry Potter Lexicon. We should all bow down and worship this all-powerful website.** _I'm really sorry about not updating that often. I've been battling a severe case of writer's block since September. Now that i'm on winter break things are starting to look up, so i'm gonna try to write as much as possible. This chapter is just to introduce a new love interest for our scorned Lydia. I like him a lot, i hope you do too._

Potions class, as always, was a dark and chilly affair. The only people in the entire school who actually got some enjoyment out of it were the Slytherins, two or three Ravenclaws, and, of course, the Potions Professor himself. Professor Killicks was a very tall, very thin man in his mid-fifties. Because most of his time was spent indoors concocting who-knows-what, his complexion was rather pale and sickly. It almost matched his snow white mane of hair and snazzy mustache. His attitude left much to be desired. Like all Potions teachers he favored the Slytherins and was their Head of House. He was moody, bad-tempered, conceited, and yet extremely quick witted. To put it simply, he was a pompous ass.

"Today, I shall be assigning you all partners for your new assignment," he addressed the room of Slytherins and Gryffindors, "I will begin reading the list in alphabetical order." The class shifted in their seats. As all students know, being assigned partners can be very scary.

"Black and Snape."

"Oh no, Not Snivellus!"

"Evans and Potter." Lilly ground her teeth while James beamed across the room at her.

"Fitzwilliam and Watson." Lydia (Watson) turned around and looked at her new partner. Christopher Fitzwilliam was a new Seventh Year, and had just transferred from The Salem Witches' Institute in America. She couldn't quite make him out in the dimness of the dungeon, so all she knew was that he was tall.

Professor Killicks read through the rest of the names. Remus and Lauren were paired up and Peter was with a Slytherin boy. "Now," Killicks's cold voice echoed throughout the dungeon, "For your assignment." He looked each student in the eye. An extremely unnerving habit. "You and your partner will be required to research a potion that I will give you, and then write out a scenario in which one would use the potion and its antidote. You will be given three weeks for this assignment. This, I think, is an ample amount of time as all work will be done outside of class."

Lydia groaned inwardly. Now she would have to do this assignment, in addition to her other class work, and work on the Seventh Year Ball.

Lilly sensed her discomfort. "Don't worry Liddie, you'll find a way to do it all. You always do." Lydia managed a feeble smile before turning attention back to Professor Killicks.

After Potions was over, everyone began to head back to their Houses to get ready for dinner. "I hate having Potions last," Lilly commented, "It always leaves me in a foul mood for the rest of the evening."

Lydia laughed, "At least we don't have Professor Binns. You'd be too tired to even go to dinner."

They were a few feet down the corridor when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and jerked her back. The snide comment she wasabout to give whoever was behind her died in her throat when she found herself staring into a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. "Lydia Watson?" The voice was low, smooth, and unmistakably male. It sent shivers down her spine. The hand on her shoulder pushed her back a little bit so that she could she who the blue eyes and sexy voice belonged to. On the same face as the eyes were high cheekbones, a perfect nose, and a strong, firm mouth (think Trent Ford from How to Deal). Her own started to water. One chocolate brown eyebrow, matching the hair that fell into his eyes, rose at her embarrassed silence.

"Oh," her faced turned the same color as her Gryffindor scarf, "I'm Lydia Watson. And you are…?"

He smirked, not a bit fooled by her attempt to save her dignity. "I'm Chris Fitzwilliam, your new partner.

The English accent threw her off, "But, you're supposed to be from America?"

His smirk traveled up to his eyes and turned into a knowing smile. "I moved to America when I was eight. I was born in London. Never could get rid of the accent."

The color had ebbed from her face, a great relief.

"When did you want to start working on our assignment?" he continued.

"Is tomorrow during lunch alright?" she asked.

"Tomorrow it is," he replied and strolled away towards the Slytherin Common Room.

Lydia stood there for a few minutes, simply gazing amazedly at his retreating back. Lauren came up behind her and whispered, "You are sooo lucky." She simply nodded in agreement. Maybe this assignment wouldn't be so bad after all.


End file.
